Oral Roberts Dead at age 91

[AmateurPianist]

The man was a huckster who used people’s gullibility to make a buck. He is in desperate need of our prayers now.

Now I: was never particularly a fan of his and to be honest something about Oral and his son always struck me the wrong way. That having been said.
[SIGN]You don’t know for sure this is true[/SIGN]

 

[Auriel]

Yes, he had an affect on me, I trust even less now than I did before. I have friends that went through hell at ORU as well. Others were deeply scarred as young children by that man, but I will not go into that part here. All I will say is that they were shaky when they heard the news, and one I know personally even said they felt a sense of relief. There are a lot of horror stories out, and many are true.

I still have the links to archives and copies of court documents about the molester ORU officials failed to report for 2 months. He admitted to 6 boys, now serving 20 years.

Here is just one of many court documents: oscn.net/applications/ocisweb/GetCaseInformation.asp?submitted=true&viewtype=caseGeneral&casemasterID=252101&db=Tulsa

Avery Demont Lawson was only 20, he had been preaching since he was 14.

The newspaper *Tulsa World, * pulled quite a few archives. You can go to the archives and all the dates of when the most shocking stories broke, are missing.

Others prepared for that and made their own copies.

reformation.com/CSA/lawson1.htm

QUOTE: ORU officials failed to report the sexual assaults, police say.

A BLURB:

**The paper also said Lawson, while a student at ORU in 1998, had accepted a position as youth pastor at a Tulsa church. That could not be confirmed Wednesday night.

Tulsa police first learned of allegations of molestation July 22 when a man reported that his 13-year-old son had been sexually assaulted at an ORU summer soccer camp, an affidavit by Tulsa Police Detective E.R. Eagan said. A university official said ORU also reported the incident that day.

But Eagan alleged in the affidavit that other allegations of molestations were not reported to police.

Eagan said her investigation “revealed that Oral Roberts University possessed nine pages of written documentation in the form of witness statements by juveniles alleging that they were the victims of a sexual assault or the attempted victims of sexual assaults or witnesses to these events . . . during the months of May, June and July of 1999, and that none of these incidents was reported to the police by ORU staff,” the affidavit stated.

The school also had documentation about alleged incidents reported by a dormitory resident assistant and security staff, Eagan said. Calhoun said that during a meeting with police supervisors Wednesday, Eagan told them that “so far the suspect has been more righteous with us than ORU officials.”**

Quite a few churches cover up, they lose donations when these things get out. .

It is amazing to me that Oral Roberts went as far as he did. Though it was back in the hey day of the wealth and prosperity movement. A friend of mine had one of the books he wrote titled How I Learned Jesus Was Not Poor. I also have a hard time believing his son’s claim that he witnessed him raise a person from the dead: **TIME MAGAZINE **time.com/time/magazine/article/0,9171,964970,00.html

In a way I feel bad for him, a good hospital and research center is a great idea, but his monsterplex failed. He made quite a few angry when he endorsed “The Secret”. Lots of tragedy, his oldest daughter died with her husband on the plane crash, his oldest son shot himself in the head, his only grandson to be named after him died hours after he was born. In the early days people dropped dead in his tent healing services. In the latter years one lady died 12 hours after they taped her testimony about her miraculous healing. The political and financial scandals, his daughter-in-law’s scandal with the underage boys and the law suits were not caused by Oral though, I think he was genuinely shocked. Here is an overview: usatoday.com/news/nation/2007-10-05-oral-roberts-univ_N.htm

BTW, Oral was his middle name, his full name was **Granville Oral Roberts. **

Quite a few famous televangelists came out of his camp.

Also feel sad in a way because he has to face God now, but like someone said, God will judge, only he can. It’s a good thing it is not left up to us.

 

[twopekinguys]

I think on some level he was a very spiritual, and spirit filled man.

I remember in my younger days going to “tent revivals”, similar to how he got his start, and those preachers truly believed everything they preached.

The good thing about that is, it sparked my faith, and ultimately led me to the Catholic Church.

I would like to think he wasn’t a bad guy. I don’t like to think anyone is necessarily a bad guy. I would prefer to give him the benefit of the doubt. After all, only God can judge his soul. Not me.

 

[BrianH]

I had a nice visit to the ORU campus when I considered getting my doctorate there. I decided against it but some area administrators did go to school there. I took my boys to a ORU baketball camp led by Sean Sutton as well. Great looking campus. Nice people.

 

[Bill_Pick]

May God bless the soul of Oral Roberts but he was a very good con man.
If you look at Benny Hinn,Ernesl Angley, Leroy Jenkins,Mike Murdock and the rest of them you will see they are all very good con men…the last 4 you can not turn on a TV that they are not begging for money,in fact last week I was watching Mike Murddock and he was asking for 100 a person I shut him off and a hr later I was watching and he was asking for 1000 from a 1000…they are all crooks.

Please forgive me Lord

 

[1edyson]

let perpetual light shine upon him, and may he rest in peace.

 

[Monica4316]

I was always skeptical of his ministry, even when I was a Protestant…

but he’s a human being like we all are and we should pray for him now.

may the Lord have mercy on his soul and may perpetual light shine on him, may he rest in peace, amen.

 

[Bill_Pick]

I can only imagine the uproar if someone called a famous and very visible Catholic a wolf in sheep’s clothing. Be careful what you say. The post asked if he had an affect on you, not whether you thought he was a fraud destined for hell.

All I said was he was a con man,I said nothing about hell

 

[twopekinguys]

All I said was he was a con man,I said nothing about hell

I don’t think Reteeks comment was pointed at you. Your comment was made well after he made his.

 

[JonNC]

At the time I was considering colleges, I had been in school and church choirs throughout jr hi and high school, and my mother was of the thought, at one point, I should go there in order to be on his tv choir. The influence of my father, and my own seedling faith were far too strong for that, as Dad didn’t place much confidence in either that style of ministry or theology, and I found and find that type of ministry *very *uncomfortable. Needless to say, Mr. Roberts was no more Lutheran than he was Catholic.

All that said, I can only assume he was a man of faith, and I pray he is among the Church Triumphant.

Jon

 

[RomanCath379]

I can only imagine the uproar if someone called a famous and very visible Catholic a wolf in sheep’s clothing. Be careful what you say. The post asked if he had an affect on you, not whether you thought he was a fraud destined for hell.

But we are talking about ministers, not just plain Protestants. You say Catholics, but a Catholic priest is not a sheep in wolves clothing. He is chosen by God as part of His Magisterium. And I’d be careful if I were you about putting words in people’s mouths. No one here ever said he was destined for hell.

 

[reteeks21]

But we are talking about ministers, not just plain Protestants. You say Catholics, but a Catholic priest is not a sheep in wolves clothing. He is chosen by God as part of His Magisterium. And I’d be careful if I were you about putting words in people’s mouths. No one here ever said he was destined for hell.

So, can a sheep in wolve’s clothing get to heaven? That would imply he’s a fake, a fraud that isn’t Christian in any way. And stating that he was a wolf isn’t answering the post’s question. They didn’t ask your opinion; they asked if he had any effect on you. That’s pretty plain and simple. Irregardless, let’s drop it. It’s not worth it.

 

[JonNC]

But we are talking about ministers, not just plain Protestants. You say Catholics, but a Catholic priest is not a sheep in wolves clothing. He is chosen by God as part of His Magisterium.

Would you characterize, say, a Lutheran minister as a wolf in sheep’s clothing?

Jon

 

[RomanCath379]

Would you characterize, say, a Lutheran minister as a wolf in sheep’s clothing?

Jon

No comment. Let’s just say if a Lutheran minister says what Luther has said, and doesn’t go by what Jesus said…well, you get the picture…

 

[JonNC]

No comment. Let’s just say if a Lutheran minister says what Luther has said, and doesn’t go by what Jesus said…well, you get the picture…

Well, your Bishops have offered a comment about the Lutheran clergy here:
usccb.org/seia/koinonia.shtml#9

1. Catholic judgment on the authenticity of Lutheran ministry need not be of an all-or-nothing nature. The Decree on Ecumenism of Vatican II distinguished between relationships of full ecclesiastical communion and those of imperfect communion to reflect the varying degrees of differences with the Catholic Church.(164) The communion of these separated communities with the Catholic Church is real, even though it is imperfect. Furthermore, the decree positively affirmed:

Our separated brothers and sisters also celebrate many sacred actions of the Christian religion. These most certainly can truly engender a life of grace in ways that vary according to the condition of each church or community, and must be held capable of giving access to that communion in which is salvation.(165)
Commenting on this point, Joseph Cardinal Ratzinger, prefect of the Congregation on the Doctrine of the Faith, wrote in 1993 to Bavarian Lutheran bishop Johannes Hanselmann:

I count among the most important results of the ecumenical dialogues the insight that the issue of the eucharist cannot be narrowed to the problem of ‘validity.’ Even a theology oriented to the concept of succession, such as that which holds in the Catholic and in the Orthodox church, need not in any way deny the salvation-granting presence of the Lord [Heilschaffende Gegenwart des Herrn] in a Lutheran [evangelische] Lord’s Supper.(166)

If the actions of Lutheran pastors can be described by Catholics as “sacred actions” that “can truly engender a life of grace,” if communities served by such ministers give “access to that communion in which is salvation,” and if at a eucharist at which a Lutheran pastor presides is to be found “the salvation-granting presence of the Lord,” then Lutheran churches cannot be said simply to lack the ministry given to the church by Christ and the Spirit. In acknowledging the imperfect koinonia between our communities and the access to grace through the ministries of these communities, we also acknowledge a real although imperfect koinonia between our ministries.

Highlighting mine.

On the other hand, I see no reason for me to withhold comment about the Catholic clergy; despite our disagreements, I see the Catholic clergy as valid, and a blessing to all of Christianity.

Jon

 

[RomanCath379]

Well, your Bishops have offered a comment about the Lutheran clergy here:
usccb.org/seia/koinonia.shtml#9

Highlighting mine.

On the other hand, I see no reason for me to withhold comment about the Catholic clergy; despite our disagreements, I see the Catholic clergy as valid, and a blessing to all of Christianity.

Jon

Agreed.

 

[Marsha_Adams]

I remember when I was about 5 years old (in the mid 1950’s), the television was on in the living room. Mother was in the kitchen getting dinner so looking back I suspect something else had been on and she just hadn’t turned it off or changed the channel. Anyway, I was standing there in the living room and Oral Roberts was on TV and he was saying that if you touched the screen of your TV while he prayed he would heal you. I remember thinking at the time that was just silly.

To the best of my recollection, that was the only time in my life that I ever saw him on TV.

 

[Bill_Pick]

Does any one remember how long Oral was up in the tower ? Before he come down

 

[Auriel]

Does any one remember how long Oral was up in the tower ? Before he come down

I heard about that when I was a kid. LOL

He got the message from God while reading a spy novel. That was in a January. A dog track owner by the name of Jerry Collins got tired of hearing him whine, made the donation, and was flown in on Oral’s private jet to deliver the check.

Just searched for the owner, According to the Washington post that was back on March 22, 1987. encyclopedia.com/doc/1P2-1312800.html

**A millionaire dog-track owner flew to Oklahoma yesterday aboard Oral Roberts’ private jet to present him with a $1.3 million check that puts the evangelist over the top in his $8 million do-or-die fund drive.

Until the pledge by Jerry Collins, the evangelist was $1.3 million short in his drive to collect $8 million for his medical scholarship fund by March 31 or be “called home by God.”

“To be sure, he doesn’t have to commit hari-kari now,” said Collins, 79, who reportedly cares little for Roberts or his fund-raising … **

The legend has it that when he was on live and celebrating, the tower was struck by lightning. He made a quick exit! Other paper reports state that it was hit AFTER he left the building.

Either way it actually has been struck by lightning more than once. But it is in tornado alley and stands 200 ft tall.

He did some wacky things, and thought they were a good idea.

One thing I did think cool though is that he was not ashamed of his American Indian heritage.

This I do not like, a clip from a sermon he is well known for on youtube. He thought it out but I think others would rather he had ditched it. I just cannot imagine anyone thinking this was a good idea…or maybe I’m wrong and other churches do this too. Kind of creeped me out though.

AND WARNING: Do not play it with kids present. youtube.com/watch?v=WKM2p8NLv1w

 

[SingleMomMonica]

Fox News, and I’m sure other news agencies are reporting that Evangelist Oral Roberts has died.

Did he, or his ministry have any effect on you?

I have no idea who Oral Roberts is.

What was his ministry?

That’s sad he died, but he did have a long life. I hope he used his time here on earth well.

Was he a Christian, a member of the Church and receive Jesus in the Holy Eucharist?

On behalf of Christ, did Oral feed the hungry? Did he clothe the naked? Did he give drink to the thirsty?

Was he able to confess to a priest & did he receive Holy Unction soon before his death so that he could die in peace ready for his journey into eternity?

I hope so!